THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 24, 1997 TAG: 9701220110
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 89 lines
One week, he was being suspended from his team for not handling defeat with dignity. The next, he was being mobbed by jubilant teammates and proudly hoisting a 4-foot trophy.
And so it went for Wilson heavyweight Tonio Pearce, who in 10 days evolved from hothead to hero of the Presidents' wrestling team.
Wilson nipped Norcom on criteria to win Saturday's Oak Duals, thanks in large part to Pearce, a junior and first-year wrestler who overcame a 57-pound weight disadvantage to pin Norcom's Ayrbon Parker in the climactic bout.
``Getting all that support from your teammates, knowing you did good, it just felt great,'' Pearce said. ``Awesome.''
That's a far cry from how Pearce felt on Jan. 8, when he went ballistic after being decked in 46 seconds during the Presidents' 55-20 loss to Maury.
``He didn't think he was pinned, but he didn't understand the rules,'' said Wilson coach Tony Reynolds, who watched in dismay as Pearce's histrionics cost the Presidents one team point. ``I think he'd been watching too much Rick Flair. The bottom line is, he exhibited poor sportsmanship. As a school, we had to suspend him.''
Pearce sat out the Presidents' next match, a victory over Churchland. But he redeemed himself in style Saturday, as he evened his record to 6-6 with three victories during the Oak Duals, all by fall.
``I think I've realized that getting all (upset) when you make mistakes doesn't do you much good,'' said Pearce, who's also a lieutenant in Wilson's Junior ROTC program. ``You just need to learn from them and move on.''
Saturday, Pearce's pin in 2:59 cemented a 45-33 victory over Chincoteague in the Duals' first round. In the semifinals, Pearce rallied from a 10-0 deficit to win by fall and lift the Presidents to a 42-39 victory over Grafton.
But he saved his most stirring effort for Wilson's intracity rivals. The Presidents trailed the Greyhounds by five when Pearce took the mat, and Reynolds admits that one look at Norcom's man-child of a heavyweight made the Presidents' coach seriously question his team's chances.
``My guy is 218, and their kid is 6-5 and has to (cut weight) to make 275,'' Reynolds said. ``He looks like he should be playing in the NFL. I mean, when this kid locked Tonio up and wrapped his arms around him, you couldn't see Tonio.
``I'm thinking, this match is over. We'll take second place.''
Fortunately for the Presidents, Pearce thought differently.
``I definitely thought I could win,'' he said. ``I felt if I used my speed I'd have a chance.''
Ultimately, however, it was Pearce's power that prevailed. The junior hoisted Parker's leg, drove him to his back and got the fall at 1:37 of the first period.
Pearce's pin appeared to give the Presidents a 33-32 victory. But Wilson's reaction was so frenzied when the referee's hand hit the mat the Presidents were docked one team point for excessive celebration. But since Wilson won eight bouts to the Greyhounds' six, the Presidents prevailed in spite of the penalty.
``This time, everybody sat down and stayed quiet,'' Reynolds said. ``We just did our little team prayer, picked up our trophy and went into the locker room.
``Then we exploded again.''
As a reward for his heroics, Pearce was tapped to present the championship trophy to school principal William Gibson earlier this week.
``You know, the paper picked our school to finish last,'' Pearce said. ``This shows we're a good team.''
MORE COMPETITIVE: The move from the Southeastern District to the Eastern has been a boon to Portsmouth's wrestling teams. Wilson, which went 0-7 in the Southeastern a year ago, is currently in second place in the Eastern, one-half match behind league-leading Lake Taylor. And the three city schools have combined to win seven district matches, four more than they earned all last season.
Churchland, Norcom and Wilson should be even more competitive during the individual tournament season, according to Truckers coach Darin Bracy.
``There were years in the Southeastern District where if we had one or two kids qualify for regionals we felt good,'' Bracy said. ``This year, I'm looking at six. We now have a chance to get to the next level, see what it's like, and hopefully it'll make our kids better wrestlers in the long run.''
GRADE WATCH: Thursday's exams marked the end of the first semester, so the immediate effects of the Portsmouth mandate of a minimum 2.0 grade-point average to play sports will become apparent beginning today. Athletes whose GPA has dropped below 2.0 will be ineligible for the next nine weeks.
The rule works both ways, though, as some teams will regain the services of players previously ineligible. The Wilson boys basketball team, for example, will finally have a power forward on the court in the person of Travis Flowers, a 6-3 sophomore who coach Terrence Green said was the Presidents' best player during summer league. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Tonio Pearce: ``Getting all (upset) when you make mistakes doesn't
do you much good.''